Officer hailed a hero for rescuing teens from fiery wreck

By Ana Ley :
November 5, 2012
: Updated: November 5, 2012 11:53pm

Sgt. Jesse Garcia tallks about the scene where he pulled two teens from a burning car while off-duty on Friday Nov. 2, 2012. Garcia was given a certificate of merit on Monday Nov. 5, 2012 for his actions.

Photo By Helen L. Montoya/San Antonio Express-News

Sgt. Jesse Garcia tallks about the scene where he pulled two teens from a burning car while off-duty on Friday Nov. 2, 2012. Garcia was given a certificate of merit on Monday Nov. 5, 2012 for his actions.

Photo By Helen L. Montoya/San Antonio Express-News

Sgt. Jesse Garcia was given a certificate of merit for saving the lives of two teens by pulling them from a burning car while off-duty on Friday night. Garcia sustained burns in the incident. The motorcycle helmet he was wearing was cracked from the flames.

Morgan Bryant's words — “I don't want to die this way” — rang out to Sgt. Jesse Garcia as he approached the burning car she was trapped in.

“It was surreal,” he recalled Monday after he was hailed a hero for rescuing Bryant, 19, and Selena Gonzales, 17, from the car after happening onto the fire on Loop 1604 near Sulfur Springs Road early Saturday.

San Antonio Police Chief William McManus presented him with a certificate of merit and — recalling the death of Officer Sergio Antillon, who was killed by a drunk driver in 2010 after he stopped to help a motorist — said Garcia risked his own life to save the young women.

The flames had melted through Garcia's motorcycle helmet and burned his arm and head by the time he held the driver's seat belt in the fire to get Bryant out, helped by two passers-by.

Still in bandages, the officer thanked his co-workers, including some who had driven to the fire scene to make sure he was OK.

“Every officer would have done the same thing,” said Garcia, 51. “I really love that we take care of each other, and I'm glad the girls are OK.”

Bryant and Gonzales were listed in critical but stable condition early Monday, and both were expected to survive their injuries, Garcia said.

The 27-year department veteran was driving home after a patrol shift and saw their flaming vehicle, which had hit a pole. He reported it, at first assuming it had simply been abandoned.

But as he got closer, he saw the driver's flailing arms and heard her begging him to get her out. He first saved Gonzales, who told him that her friend was still trapped inside.

“I thought, ‘No one could be alive in that,'” Garcia said. “It's the most desperate feeling.”

He tried to call for help from his cellphone, but it had melted in the fire. He assured them they would be OK, though he knew he was alone.

A passing motorist, who happened to be wearing a fire-retardant suit from his work, and a volunteer firefighter who had an extinguisher, pulled up in time to help, authorities said. Their identities were still unavailable Monday.

“I was glad (they arrived) because I felt like I was going to lose it. I was in a lot of pain,” Garcia said. “I was so worried about the girls.”

Garcia, who teaches a law enforcement course at San Antonio College, credited law enforcement agencies involved in the rescue for helping him save the teens.